Cap remover for containers and the like



Jan. 25, 1938. JENKlNsoN 2,106,639

CAP REMOVER FOR CONTAINERS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 24, 1936 Patented Jan. 25 1938 George Brockley Jenkinson, Prescott, Ontario, Canada Application February 24,1936, Serial No. 65,505

1 Claim. (01. 65- 16) This invention relates to a cap remover for containers and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be readily made out of bar-"like material to provide an opener either in the form of a simple one-piece member which will efiiciently remove the caps from containers,

.bottles'and the like upon a downward pressure on Y its handle or shank or may be made in the form a device of this character which may be readily of a composite member which will remove caps either by downward pressure or an upward pressure on its shank or handle.

A further object of the invention is to provide made in several forms.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in an opener formed from bar-like material providing a shank formed with a capengaging member formed at one end thereof, having a portion projecting therefrom at an incline, a second portion bent substantially at right angles to the first portion and a third portion bent substantially at right angles to the second portion, the third portion being of lip like character and being thinner and wider than the other portions, to fit under and engage the edge of a bottle cap.

- In a second form this structure is coupled with a second element having a shank designed to abut the shank of the first element and having a cap engaging member at one end of the shank inthe form of a projecting lip terminating intermediate the ends of the cap engaging member of the first element to fit under and engage the edge of a cap or to fit on top of the cap when the cap engaging member of the other element fits under and engages the edge of the cap as described in the following specification and illustrated in'the accompanying drawing which form part of the j'same.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of construction according to the present invention.

' Figure 2 isa bottom plan view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a side elevation partly in section of an alternative form of cap remover.

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a further alternative construction of cap remover.

Figure '7 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of Figure 5 showing the construction of the engaging lips of the remover as employed in the structure of Figure 5 and Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary pictorial view of the cap remover shown in engagement with the cap of a bottle. l

Figure 9 is a similar view to Figure 7, showing the same cap remover in an alternative position engaging the cap of a bottle, and

v Figure 10 is a transverse section of bar-like material alternative to Figure 3 from which the cap remover in some forms may be constructed.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly Figures 1 to 3, A indicates a cap remover for containers, bottles and'the like which-is constructed from a single piece of bar-like material and bent to form a shank l0 having at one end a cap engaging member B. The cap engaging member is formed with a portion ll inclined to the normal plane of the shank It], the outer end of the inclined portion being bent to form a second portion I2 which extends substantially at right angles to the first portion, the outer end of the second portion being again bent as at l3 to provide a third portion extending substantially at right angles to the second portion and substantially parallel to the first portion, the third portion being of lip-.

like character as indicated at M, thinner and wider than saidother portions, to fit under and engage the edge of a cap. The edge of the lip-like portion I4 is formed concave or inwardly curved as at I5 so as to fit around the bead of the neck of a bottle or container without catching the bead or neck, the juncture of the side edges and curved portion l5 of the lip forming projecting points l6 which project under the edge of the cap along with a portion of the curved edge I 5 positively to engage with the edge of the cap. The inclined portion II is designed to lie along the top of the cap of a container or the like during the process of removing the said cap, the second portion l2 fits around the edge of the cap and, the lip l4 under the edge. In this position the shank I I] is projecting upwardly at an' incline from the cap so that under downward pressure the shank will fulcrum on the slightly'curved part I! at the point where the inclined portion I I joints the shank l0 and the lip 14 will readily lift off a cap from the container. The inclined portion II is preferably of a length slightly shorter than the width of a standard container cap to provide for the application of considerable force at the lip l4 when the shank is depressed, but of course the opener would operate quite efficiently if the shank portion were of a length slightly greater than the width of the cap. I

The shank l0 may be encased in a suitable handle if desired, but in a simple form of opener it is preferable to leave it without a special handle.

In this construction the extreme end of the shank may be tapered as at l8 and upwardly bent as at 19- to provide a utility member having a screw driver-like end 20 which may be used as a screw driver and also may be conveniently used as a pry tolift the lids of paint cans and the like.

The bar-like material from which the construction is formed may conveniently be half section material as indicated in Figure 3 formed with an upper rounded surface and a flat base. On the other hand it may conveniently take a form elliptical in cross-section, as indicated in Figure 10.

To provide a composite member wherein the caps may be removed with a downward pressure or an upward pressure on the handle of the opener a second element is provided. On referring to Figure 4 it will be seen that the shank ID of one element is relatively shorter than that shown in V Figure 1, and is provided with a similar cap engaging member B having the various portions I I, A second element C is coupled with this structure having a shank 2| which abuts the shank it! of the first element and is formed with a cap engaging portion 22 at the end of the shank 2| in the form of a projecting lip disposed in alignment with the shank and terminating in termediate the ends of the cap engaging member of the first element. The cap engaging member of the second element is of lip like form having a reduced outer edge 23 thinner and wider than its shank, the upper surface 24 being in the same plane as the upper surface of its shank which is disposed below a parallel plane intersecting the lip H of the cap engaging member element whereby the lip 14 of the cap engaging member B of the first element may project below the edge of the cap while the cap engaging lip 23 of element C bears upon the top of the cap as illustrated in Figure 8. Thus the cap may be removed by applying a downward pressure to the handle of the cap remover, the latter fulcruming on the lip 23. Alternatively the lip 23 may fit beneath the edge of the bottle cap with the lipl4 bearing on top of the cap whereby the cap may be removed by applying an upward pressure to the handle, in which case the cap remover fulcrums on the lip M, the fiat surface 24 of lip 23 firmly j engaging the lower edge of the cap, and if desired the lip 23 might be concaved or formed with a curved portion similar to the portion 15 shown in Figure 2.

The abutting shanks I0 and 2| of each element are carried according to Figure 4 in a handle 24, and they may be formed in any suitable way to prevent twisting within the handle. For instance, each shank may be provided with a flange the lower surface of which constitutes a continuation of the fiat abutting surfaces of the shanks so that the flanges projecting into the material of the handle will prevent turning. On the other hand the external surfaces of the shanks might be roughened to fulfill this function. At the same time the shanks may be formed with means such as projections interengaging between the shanks to assist in preventing relative longitudinal movement of the shanks. This type of construction may be finished with the usual ferrule or the like 26.

This general construction may be given another formation which I have devised and which is shown in Figure 6, wherein the shanks l0 and 2| are continued to form handle portions 21 and 28. In one form of construction the shanks may be formed separately, the extensions thereof being curved at 29 and 30 to provide a relatively wide and readily gripped handle, the shanks being preferably welded together at 3| and the free ends of the extensions welded together as at 32. On the other hand, this construction can be formed from a single member wherein the cap engaging portion B is formed at one end of the piece and the cap engaging portion 22 for the second element C is formed at the opposite end, whereupon the whole piece of material is bent to provide the skeleton handle construction illustrated in Figure 6 and the shanks l0 and 2| are welded together to form the complete article.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that I have provided a complete and simple cap remover which can be made in various convenient forms and which will operate efliciently.

Various modifications may be made in this invention without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the claim, and therefore the exact forms shown are to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense, and it is desired that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are disclosed in the prior art or are set forth in the accompanying claim.

What I claim as my invention is:

A cap remover for containers and the like comprising a pair of bar-like elements abutting one another, each having a shank connecting with a handle, one of said elements being formed with a cap engaging member at one end of the shank, said cap engaging member having a portion projecting at an incline to the plane of the shank, a second portion bent substantially at right angles to the first portion and a third portion bent substantially at right angles to the second portion so as to. extend substantially parallel with the first portion, said third portion being of lip-like character to engage the edge or top of a container cap, the second element having a cap engaging member in the form of a projecting lip in alignment with the shank and terminating intermediate the length of the cap engaging member of the first element, the cap engaging member of the second element engaging either the edge or top of the container cap according to the position of the cap engaging member of the first element when applied to a bottle cap whereby a container cap may be removed in two ways, by upward or downward pressure on the handle.

GEORGE BROCKLEY J ENKINSON. 

